Niwot's Eva Kitlen spells a word at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, May 29, 2013. (Bill Clarke / For the Camera)

Niwot resident Eva Kitlen, 14, and her parents enjoyed dinner at a nice Washington, D.C.-area restaurant Wednesday night, then headed back to their hotel to take it easy.

Mom Sheila Kitlen said she expected her daughter to sleep in Thursday, then maybe review some of her study materials and get ready to hit the stage again as her experience at the Scripps National Spelling Bee -- the Super Bowl of spelling bees -- continues on into the semifinals.

"This was her goal, to make it to semifinals this year, and she's thrilled," Sheila Kitlen said. "She worked really hard, and it's paid off."

"I feel really good," the Sunset Middle School eighth-grader added Wednesday night. "Two hundred and eighty-one contestants, and only 42 go to the semifinals. I'm pretty proud of that and really, really happy."

Eva got off to a great start in her second appearance in as many years at the national bee, correctly spelling the words "doctrinaire" and "balaclava" in the second and third rounds as well as correctly answering her two vocabulary questions. She identified "julep" as a type of beverage and noted that "naphthalene" is found in coal tar.

The vocabulary questions are a new addition to the spelling bee this year.

Those answers and her computer-based preliminary test were enough to advance Eva into the semifinal round. It was the written test that kept her from advancing in 2012, despite spelling two words correctly on stage.

"She started studying differently as soon as she got home from the bee last year," Sheila Kitlen said. "She didn't go overboard; she did what she could. She focused on roots and language patterns and language of origin."

There will be two rounds of oral spelling Thursday, which, when combined with the scores from another written test taken Wednesday, will eliminate all but the best 10 to 12 spellers before the finals Thursday night.

"I'd like to get at least one word right tomorrow, but I don't have any expectation to make it to finals," Eva said Wednesday. "It would be really cool to make it to finals, but I just really want to have fun."

One perk to being a return speller this year is Eva recognized a few of her fellow competitors and has befriended the two she sits between on stage: Katherine Wang, a student from Shanghai whom Eva met last year, and Himanvi Kopuri, of Denver. Eva said they root for one another, and all three have made it to the semifinals.

"It's pretty cool that we all get to go on together," she said.

Eva had a message for her friends, family and well-wishers preparing to watch the semifinals back home in Niwot and elsewhere:

"Just thanks for all the support, and it's been pretty amazing to have so many people interested in the bee and supportive of me as I've done this."

The semifinals will air on ESPN 2 starting at noon Thursday, and the finals will air on ESPN starting at 6 p.m.

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